Timesplitters developer Free Radical Design’s future uncertain

Free Radical Design, the game developer behind the Timesplitters series of games, and more recently Haze, is facing difficulties.{ad}

The company has gone into administration and even though 185 staff have been paid until the end of December only 40 now remain actively working. They are not working on any titles in development, however, instead just carrying out concept work for future titles. It is thought all active game projects have been moved to other companies including two titles.

The company handling the administration of FRD is Resolve. Cameron Gunn of Resolve released a statement saying:

The company was placed in to administration yesterday afternoon … We will be spending the next three or four days assessing the financial position of the company but it’s business as usual, although we have asked that almost all of the employees apart from a skeleton crew remain at home. All employees have been paid up until the end of December and we hope to make another announcement before Christmas or very soon thereafter, but we must stress at this stage that it’s business as usual.

If all active projects have been transferred away from FRD then it’s hard to see them coming back. They won’t be able to fund 185 staff unless they get a publishing deal in place very quickly on a large project, or multiple games in development and funded. Both scenarios are unlikely and I think most staff will have already started looking for other jobs and accepting positions elsewhere.